More than 50 students gathered in the lobby of the Collis Center Sunday night to protest proposed federal government cuts in educational funding and to urge other students to contact their Congressional representatives.
The rally, sponsored by the Afro-American Society, La Alianza Latina and Native Americans at Dartmouth, drew together students of varying ethnicity and class to voice concerns about the prospect of cutting funds.
"Because Congress is scheduled to vote on the proposals as early as February 22, we had to act fast," said Ernesto Cuevas '98, one of the event's organizers.
Organizers said the event addressed a problem affecting all students, regardless of race and ethnicity.
"This is not just an issue of color, but as minority students, we will be disproportionately affected by the cuts," AAm President James Hunter '95 said.
The cuts are also a socioeconomic issue, Unai Montes-Irueste '98 said. The cuts affect people who do not have the money to pay for college, he said.
Other student speakers attempted to inspire their peers to action by using personal experience.
"I'm not going to sit back and let somebody tell me I only have the opportunity for an education if I can afford it," Cuevas said. "That opportunity is just as much mine as anybody else's."
Hunter said he agrees with Cuevas. "The most important stabilizer in society is education," he said. "The future rests on education. If these cuts go through, the country will go down the drain."
If the cuts pass, Dartmouth stands to lose $1.2 million, said Chad Puls, assistant director of financial aid.
Seventy percent of work-study student wages are paid by the federal government, Puls said. If the program is cut, the College will need to seek an alternate source, he said.
Forty percent of Pell grants go to students with family incomes less than $12,000, Henderson said. She questioned how these students will pay a tuition over twice that amount without federal support.
Pell grants are federal money given to minority students to help them pay for college.
The proposed cuts would also increase financial stress for students who did remain in college, making success more difficult, Montes-Irueste said.
According to Puls, the cuts in funding will cause student loans to begin accumulating interest immediately. Under the current system, students pay no interest on their loans until after graduation.
Graduate students will have to pay back anywhere from 30 to 50 percent more than before for their loans, due to the greater accumulation of interest, he added.
"Cutting student aid will cost taxpayers in the long run," Henderson said.
According to Henderson, college graduates are more likely to contribute in taxes and are less of a burden to the government.
The cuts will hinder people from attaining a college-level education, she said.
The proposed elimination of the National Endowment for the Humanities, National Science Foundation and Advance Technology Program would also affect students not on financial aid, she said.
The elimination of Perkins loans, the Work Study Program and the Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant would affect everyone, Henderson said.
According to a pamphlet distributed at the rally, the NEH is the primary source of funding for historical and humanities research and could severely curtail faculty projects.
"These cuts affect everyone interested in gaining a higher education and pursuing intellectualism," Candice Chao '95 said.
Dean of Freshmen Peter Goldsmith also attended the rally.
"This is obviously an issue that administrators care about tremendously," he said. "It cuts across lines of race, ethnicity and class."
